India's Rapidly-Growing Construction Industry Set To Become Third-Largest Globally, By 2025: Hardeep Singh Puri

Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs, Hardeep Singh Puri, stated on Monday (19 February) that India's rapidly-growing construction industry is on track to become the third-largest globally by 2025.

Addressing the National Workshop on recent developments with recycling and use of construction and demolition (C&D) waste in the construction sector, Puri highlighted that the construction industry is the second-largest employer in the country, with linkages across 250 sectors of the economy.

He has emphasised the government's commitment to constructing a built environment at a rapid pace.

Citing urbanisation demands, Puri noted that India needs to add about 700-900 million sqm of commercial and residential spaces annually, by 2030, to meet these demands.

The workshop, organised by CPWD, in collaboration with SINTEF Norway, provided a platform for stakeholders in the construction sector to discuss promoting the use of C&D recycled items in construction for sustainable development.

Union Minister Puri acknowledged the environmental concerns associated with C&D waste and stressed the need for efficient solutions to manage the waste generated by increasing construction activity.

He also highlighted that the construction industry in India generates about 150-500 million tonnes of C&D waste annually, posing challenges such as unauthorised dumping and space constraints for disposal.

The Minister also highlighted the government's efforts towards sustainable waste management, citing the significant increase in solid waste processing — from 17 per cent in 2014 to over 77 per cent in 2024.

He further emphasised the importance of effective disposal of C&D waste and the government's comprehensive guidelines for the same.

Puri praised the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) for its efforts in changing stakeholders' mindset towards C&D waste management, urging stakeholders to collaborate with the government to devise better strategies for the effective utilisation of C&D waste.